Chapter 7: A Glimmer of Light at the End?_1

After kicking the middle-aged man by his feet viciously away,

Luo Changfeng promptly headed toward the direction of the Luo Family Ancestral Land.

As he returned to the Luo Family Ancestral Land,

and entered through the main gate,

Luo Ping, the current Family Head of the Luo Family, was standing at the entrance, looking around somewhat nervously and in silence.

"Patriarch Changfeng..."

Upon seeing Luo Changfeng's figure appear and seeing that Luo Changfeng was still unharmed,

he slightly lowered his head and greeted him.

Then, he slowly exhaled a breath.

The heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart suddenly fell at that moment.

All is well, as long as Elder Changfeng is safe.

"Hmm!" Luo Changfeng glanced at Luo Ping beside him, who appeared somewhat odd.

He nodded in acknowledgement.

Afterward, he did not pay any more attention to the man.

He silently made his way to his own courtyard.

Although the Bone Refinement Intermediate Stage realm was sufficient for him to restore some vital energy and his former strength,

this realm was ultimately still too low.

In Qingshi Town, if he wanted to ensure peace and even the safety of his Luo Family,

he must at least recover his cultivation to its peak as it had been before.

Or even surpass the peak.

And advance his cultivation to the Organ Refinement Realm, which was above Bone Refinement.

Only then could Luo Changfeng sit high and watch the many changes in Qingshi Town with composure.

...

A short while later, Luo Changfeng returned to his own courtyard.

As soon as he entered his yard,

he promptly found an open area and sat down with crossed legs.

He worked hard to regulate his breathing rhythm and the flow of vital energy within his body.

Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the Luo Family Clan's land, Luo Ping,

having seen that Patriarch Changfeng seemed to have no serious issues,

rushed anxiously to his own courtyard.

"My son, my son..."

As soon as he returned to his small courtyard, Luo Ping, the current Family Head of the Luo Family, couldn't help calling out loudly and repeatedly.

"Father, you really are..." In the courtyard, the delicate-looking young man dressed in white, sitting quietly beneath a Stone Pavilion,

couldn't help curling his lips upon hearing the urgent calls.

Raising his head, he looked in the direction of his father, and spoke with a somewhat helpless expression, "This really does not become the bearing of a Family Head of the Luo Family."

"If outsiders see this, who knows what they might think of you..."

"Heh heh, isn't it just within this courtyard that I act like this, huh!" Luo Ping laughed somewhat awkwardly, and then quickly added, "Besides, even if outsiders saw it, who would dare to make idle comments?"

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. You'd better tell me why you've hastily run back here," said the son.

"Patriarch Changfeng has returned, but while roaming around Qingshi Town, he encountered a gang of bandits..."

"Bandits???" Luo Chuan, who was holding a porcelain teacup in his right hand, couldn't help but tremble slightly upon hearing his father Luo Ping's words.

A chill flickered in his eyes, which should have remained undisturbed.

Even though Elder Changfeng's strength was no longer at its peak,

his vital energy had dried up to its limit.

His lifespan was nearly exhausted, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that half his body was in the grave.

Even fighting a few robust men was somewhat struggle,

let alone confronting those blade-wielding bandits.

But even so, Patriarch Changfeng remained an incredibly important figure for the Luo Family, one of the four great families of Qingshi Town.

"Father, do we know which gang of bandits it was?"

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After a long silence, and after Luo Chuan finished the cup of tea in his hand,

his voice was slightly icy as he asked his own father,

"House servants say that the bandits seem to come from a small mountain outside Qingshi Town, from a mountain stronghold called Blackwind Stockade."

"Blackwind Stockade?" Luo Chuan murmured to himself as he nodded silently.

After pondering for a moment more, he quietly inquired of his father beside him, "Father, how is Elder Changfeng's condition...?"

"His complexion is rosy, and his spirit is vigorous."

"It's just like a fleeting recovery before death."

"It's just uncertain how long Elder Changfeng can maintain this condition."

...

Over at the Luo Family's side, they had learned all about Luo Changfeng's outing.

Being also one of the four great families of Qingshi Town.

And the sworn enemy of the Luo Family, the Zhao Family.

At this time, they too had received such good news.

"Qian'er, are you sure about this news?"

In a room with a slightly cool temperature on the Zhao Family Ancestral Land,

Zhao Qian, the current Young Master of the Zhao Family, the son of the Family Head,

stood there quite excitedly, his face brimming with a smile.

"Father, it's absolutely true."

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"That old thing from the Luo Family Ancestral Land suddenly left the estate today and walked around Qingshi Town."

"And that old thing encountered a group of mountain bandits while he was out."

"However, it's a pity that the old thing was accompanied by quite a few Luo Family house servants as guards."

"The old thing from the Luo Family should have returned to the Luo Family Ancestral Land by now."

"Bandits?" On hearing this, Zhao Wu, the current Family Head of the Zhao family, couldn't help but heave a sigh.

Indeed, it was a pity.

Given the current contradictions between the three brothers of the Luo family.

If that old thing from the Luo Family Ancestral Land were to suddenly die.

The collapse of the Luo Family would happen in the blink of an eye.

However, since Zhao Wu knew about the importance of that old thing from the Luo Family Ancestral Land, the Luo Family Clan should naturally be aware of it as well.

It made sense that when the old thing went out, he was protected by elite house servants.

As for what his own son, Zhao Qian, claimed to have seen with his own eyes, Zhao Wu didn't quite believe it.

This news probably came from the servants whom the Zhao Family had assigned to keep an eye on the Luo Family.

It's just that the news was intercepted midway by his own son.

"Since you say that you witnessed this event with your own eyes,"

"did you happen to see how that old thing from the Luo Family looked, what his complexion was like?"

"This, this..." Zhao Qian, hearing his father's question, suddenly became flustered.

The servants of Zhao Family had indeed informed him about the course of events.

He also knew some details.

But regarding the question of the old thing from the Luo Family Ancestral Land, his complexion, and state of mind.

That was something he really had no information about.

"This matter isn't actually what you witnessed personally, is it?"

In the room, Zhao Wu, who sat at the place of honor, noticed his son was somewhat faltering,

and his gaze kept drifting toward a servant of the Zhao Family in the back.

Zhao Wu instantly understood everything.

"Why don't you tell us, how did that old thing from the Luo Family Ancestral Land look today?"

"What was his mental state like?"

Zhao Wu shifted his gaze away from his son, looking instead toward a servant standing behind Zhao Qian.

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